Buying an instrument when you don’t play is intimidating. The good news is that with modern manufacturing techniques it is easier than ever to find a quality instrument at a budget friendly price. Yet there are still pitfalls that you need to avoid. Please, please don’t just order from Amazon the cheapest item that looks nice.
Let’s talk about guitars as a specific example. The difference between a great guitar and one that is unplayable is often not something that can be captured with product photography. And the market incentivizes producing guitars at every price point, even at price points that are the economic equivalent of defying gravity.
Our comfort level with online shopping has made the situation all the more precarious. There is currently a proliferation of fly-by-night “brands” that sell through Amazon (or Temu!). Many of these brands are not guitar manufacturing companies, but bedroom importers offering nice looking guitars fresh off the boat; unplayable and unsuitable for any student. Outright counterfeiting of leading American guitar companies is also a common problem.
Purchasing from a general purpose retailer like Walmart is also problematic. A celebrity performer’s endorsement of a guitar may win the confidence of the consumer, but that guitar may not survive it’s first string change.
The most common guitar issue I see students struggle with is tuning stability. Their guitars have low-quality, terrible tuners that don’t do their job and need to be replaced. Fixing this is easy-peasy. It’s a $50 to $100 upgrade and easy to DIY. Many issues with bottom dollar guitars can be fixed. But it’s $50 here, $100 there until you spend several times what you originally payed for the guitar. In the end you are still stuck with low quality wood and low resale value. Its better to spend just a tad more up front and buy an instrument without the common problems of the absolute cheapest guitars available.
Most parents are understandably worried about spending too much on an instrument when they don’t know if their child will stick with it. But if you buy an instrument that is difficult - if not impossible - to play, then you are almost guaranteed your child will not wan’t to continue. It’s better to spend a little more on a guitar and sell it if it doesn’t work out. The good news is a good instrument holds it’s value far better than used couches, clothes or old technology.
Buying in-person from a dedicated musical instrument store is best. Guitar stores are operated by musicians and act as curators that will weed out guitars that are unsuitable, and only carry brands with a proven record of quality control. The staff are happy to help bewildered parents pick out a suitable instrument that will fit their budget and meet the needs of their child. A great store near me (Central Coast of CA) is Lightning Joe’s Guitar Heaven. It’s family owned and operated and they’re all great people. They will help you get what you need without any hard upsell.
Happy Shopping!